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NCAA Passes Recruiting Legislation

The NCAA recently passed important legislation put forth in a proposal by the IWLCA that aims to curtail early recruiting. I have been an avid supporter of this legislation (you can see as much on our @PlayWinWin Twitter feed) but I understand that major decisions like this have two sides and that there are costs and benefits associated with both. That said, I won’t rehash why I think this is both positive and significant (I’ll save that for another update). Instead, I wanted to provide a quick overview of the legislation to allay immediate concerns. It is important to remember that this legislation was put forth by the IWLCA and was supported by over 85% of the college coaches who make up its membership. The men’s governing body, the IMLCA supported this proposal as well.

Overview of Legislation

The new legislation adopted will limit all recruiting contact (in-person and direct electronic or direct phone communication) between a college coach and a prospective student-athlete (PSA) and her relatives until September 1st of Junior Year. This recruiting contact includes: phone calls (initiated by either coach or PSA), emails (initiated by a coach), recruiting mailers (sent by coach), and any unofficial visits to campus that include a visit with college coaches.

As a result of this legislation, PSAs will no longer be able to have contact with coaches – in person or over the phone until September 1st of Junior Year. The aim is to give a clear “start date” for all recruiting contact thereby clarifying and streamlining a muddled rule that otherwise allowed for third parties to broker direct contacts (over the phone, in person) between coaches and players. The hope is that by clearly and concisely restricting all communication between players and PSAs until Junior Year, fewer (if any) offers will be made to underage (8th grade, 9th grade, 10th grade) recruits as neither players nor coaches will have had the opportunity to speak with one another.

For 2018s, this has no impact as you are already well into your Junior Year. For 2019s and younger – practically speaking, your approach should remain fundamentally the same – focus on finding the right school (social, academic, financial) for YOU. Visit schools. Attend camps. Prioritize those schools that are of interest to you and that make sense (ie: ones that you would consider independent of lacrosse). The biggest difference here? You have more time – more time to plan these visits and attend these camps. On the whole, this legislation should help growth areas stay competitive in the recruiting process and should help all PSAs stay focused on their scholastic pursuits (sports and academics) longer than they are able to now.